‘S-Town’ is a seven-part factual podcast series, created by Brian Reed, a “senior producer of the public radio show and podcast ‘This American Life’” (stownpodcast.org, 2017). Episode one of ‘S-Town’ focuses on Reed and his relationship with John B McLemore, “a dizzyingly eccentric” resident of Woodstock, Alabama; McLemore often refers to his hometown as “Shit-town”, giving the podcast it’s (edited) name (Aja Romano, Vox, 2017).
This episode is presented as a true-crime story, similar to ‘Serial’, again produced by Reed and those behind ‘This American Life’; “it investigated the 1999 murder of Baltimore high school student Hae Min Lee” (Imre Salusinszky, Sydney Morning Herald, 2017). The crime in question was a murder committed by the son of Woodstock’s richest family, which McLemore believed to be covered up. According to McLemore, Woodstock is “one of the child molester capitals of the States” and “Bibb County is maybe the fifth worst county to live in” (John B McLemore, S-Town, 2017). Firsthand opinions from McLemore as well as comparisons to Beirut or Sudan allows for the audience to imagine Bibb County as being similar to a third world country.
McLemore is also depicted in a certain way by the producers. They view him as smarter than his fellow rednecks, as he refers to plants by latin names (“aspidistra elatior”) for example. Reed and his production staff realised that John was an interesting character, more than the actual ‘true-crime’ and much of the first episode is dedicated to McLemore. Brian Reed stated “This guy was funny and dark and wanted me to know about him,” and “S-Town’s executive producer, ….Julie Snyder, agreed that McLemore was something special” (Melissa Locker, The Guardian 2017). Despite the original concept revolving around ‘true-crime’, the program adapted itself and became more ‘character-driven’.
In my opinion, McLemore as a character provides ‘S-Town’ with a much needed hook. Even when some of his claims of corruption and murder turn out to be ‘red herrings’, we, much like the producers who got to know him, want to know more behind the man, providing the show with direction for each of its remaining episodes.
Sources-
stownpodcast.org, 2017
https://stownpodcast.org/about
Aja Romano, Vox, 2017
https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/3/30/15084224/s-town-review-controversial-podcast-privacy
Imre Salusinszky, Sydney Morning Herald, 2017
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/why-truecrime-podcasts-make-me-uneasy-20171027-gz9hrq.html
John B McLemore, S-Town, 2017
https://stownpodcast.org/chapter/1
Melissa Locker, The Guardian 2017
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